The Element of Water

Personifying the power of the ocean through photography with Ben Thouard 

Photos by Ben Thouard

Water is one of the most powerful forces of nature, and at the same time, one of humankind's favorite playgrounds. From surfing, to sailing, to swimming, to an entire world beneath the surface, the ocean is a multifaceted element that has many forms and many faces. For surfers, that relationship is uniquely intimate — you don't ride a wave without surrendering to it first. It's a connection that photographer Ben Thouard has spent his career chasing, submerging himself in the impact zone to capture what most of us only feel for a fleeting second: the moment a human and the ocean become the same thing. We sat down with Ben to talk about what the water has taught him, how he finds stillness in chaos, and what he sees through the lens that the rest of us miss from the shore.

Which came first for you — a love for surfing or a love for the ocean? How do the two continue to feed into each other in your work?

I think the first thing that came to me was my love for the ocean. I was raised on the Mediterranean coast. My father always had a sailboat, and we would sail on all our weekends and holidays since I was young. Those days out at sea taught me patience and the sense of observation. I think that's really what triggered my passion for the ocean at first.

Only later, around 8 years old, I started playing in waves on a bodyboard, which then turned into surfing, and that made the passion even stronger. When I discovered photography it was natural for me to go shoot waves and surfing. The ocean is part of my everyday life. It's a necessity for me to go look at the ocean, swim, surf, and sail. It’s a way of living that still brings me so much inspiration. With photography it's like an endless quest of capturing the emotion and beauty of the ocean. 

Explain how you personify the ocean’s moods in your photography. Through your imagery, how do you elicit human emotion from one of the most powerful forces on the planet? 

I think when you spend time in the ocean, you start to notice a lot of different aspects than what you get on the surface. You can enjoy waves, wind, clouds, sand, storms — all these different factors that will change. And to me, they each give a different character to the ocean: It can be a very bright morning with still water, perfectly glassy, very relaxing, and colorful. It could be a very powerful wind skirting the surface of the ocean with waves and white caps creating a whole different perspective and atmosphere. It could be the craziest storm approaching, creating a very intense sky filled with clouds. It could be underwater with perfectly clear water and fish making you appreciate the beauty and the serenity of the place. It could be an underwater photo of a wave exploding creating that vortex under the wave making you feel that emotion of tension and force.

I love capturing all these different faces of the ocean. That's why I think a lot of people can relate to photography, and a lot of emotion goes through photography without the use of words. 

Surfing is more than just a sport — for some people, it’s a spiritual practice. Through your photography, how do you portray the feeling of oneness between surfer and nature?  

Surfing is an art of living. The passion can become so strong that it surpasses everything else. The commitment that a passionate surfer has is crazy — jumping in the water in the dark and surfing with the first light, taking off on the biggest wave of the day, during the craziest storm, or over the shallowest reef.

My goal as a photographer is to manage to capture that connection between the surfer and the ocean. Capturing the brief but special moments at sunrise, or at the critical moment of the drop of a big wave, or below the water during the craziest wipeout. I try to document how intense the commitment can be.

You continue to capture unseen views of the underwater world — from a new perspective of waves to states of matter the eye cannot see. How do you harness light, motion, current, and the elements to translate the power of water in a photo?

Shooting in the water is also a challenge because you have to anticipate every situation and fight the current to be in position as you're swimming. It's that physical and technical challenge that I like when I'm capturing these situations underwater. It's not easy to go down there and witness what happens below the surface. It’s quite hard to document it. But I find it very rewarding when you finally capture the right image that describes that power that the wave can produce.

It usually starts by witnessing a special moment, a glimpse of what happens in the water. Most of the time I would miss that moment because I was not aware, I was not ready to capture it. So I would try to put myself in a situation where I could witness it again and capture it. Sometimes it takes months or years to finally capture the image I had in mind. I really like to challenge myself to go and capture images that cannot be seen with human eyes.

You spend a good amount of time underwater. How has being in the silence and chaos of a surf break so often shifted your paradigm? Explain the feeling of being underwater and waiting for the right moment. 

Shooting underwater almost feels like meditation to me; I can't hear anything and my eyes keep observing everything that happens underwater. That movement mixed with the sound of water and the repetition of the movement of water creates a special feeling. I immerse myself in the element and really focus on the water doing its thing.

Once you're in that mood you easily get very inspired, as it's a mesmerizing world. I feel so good when I'm down there that time disappears and I can spend a lot of time just cruising and observing. I feel great when in the water, so I'm in a good mood to create and capture what I see.

How does photography have the power to unite people?

Photography is a way to express yourself — it's almost like a language. I think a lot of emotion can go through a photograph and that's why it has the power to unite people. It's also why there is that famous quote saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” 

Any advice you might have for someone looking to pick up a camera for the first time? 

It's always hard to choose the right camera. If it's your first camera I would go quite simple; this is also what I was recommended when I started:

• Choose a DSLR camera that fits your budget and buy a 50mm prime lens
• Learn how the camera works, how the lens and depth of field works

There is so much to learn and play around with that setup, it's pretty much endless. If I had one lens to choose for the rest of my life it would still probably be a 50mm.